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Exotic animals can be anything you think is exotic, but i'd rather focus the topic on animals that few people have, monkies, chinchillas, sugar gliders, parrots, ect. Not like cats and dogs... But some species of cats and dogs are exotic, like the savannah cat.

((EDIT: Yes, I know this is an awfully late edit, but I didn't expect the thread to last this long. My OP is so out of date I figured I would edit it out.))

((EDIT 2: It's even later and this thread is still alive aaaa. Nothing that was here is any longer valid; carry on.))

Edited January 1, 2013 by TheDarkCynder

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My friend got a couple pet rats, but unfortuantely they were infected with a common rat virus and died within weeks. They were very friendly and intelligent and a lot of fun. They made great pets for the time she had them. DOn't listen to your friends, rats are great, highly manageable pets. Be happy you're getting them and ignore the haters.

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Oh yeah, I have a bunnies too. 1. He's fat and lazy and dirty and won't come out of his cage. He's really cute though. He used to like being played with and he kept himslef clean, but now? FAIL. His name's Frito.

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I would love to have a rat. My older cousin had a mouse named Sir Graham and he was the coolest little critter ever. Although right now, she and her husband have two ferrets, Wiley and Widget, and they are freaking awesome. I definitely want my own some day. Not now because I don't have the time to keep up with such hyperactive animals, especially with college not too far away, but absolutely in the future.

I have a guinea pig, Brownie. (My parents refuse to get another and nothing will persuade them. >_>)

My mom hated rats, didn't want any of 'em to our house, but once I got Beo and Tristan, she fell in love with them and now she cares from every time I have to get a caretaker for them when I leave home for longer periods of time.

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And a good dead of people I have met seem to hate ferrets, they say "they bite" "they smell" "Their rats" And a bunch of junk like that. Idiots. And ferrets arn't really much of an exotic pet, they have been domesticated a while and are the third most poular pet in the USA.

I'm getting a ferret this june. I can't wait.

Ferrets are not rodents, are not wild animals, do not smell, do not bite (much), do not carry rabies or much anything else.

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And a good dead of people I have met seem to hate ferrets, they say "they bite" "they smell" "Their rats" And a bunch of junk like that. Idiots. And ferrets arn't really much of an exotic pet, they have been domesticated a while and are the third most poular pet in the USA.

I'm getting a ferret this june. I can't wait.

Arugh, wasn't thinking... How do I change a title? I've never had to...

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Arugh, wasn't thinking... How do I change a title? I've never had to...

Just use the "edit" button on your first post. That enables you to change the title, subtitle or the post.

I spent 54 years thinking that rats are "EEWWWW". Then I actually met some, and discovered how cute and affectionate they are.

I like to tell people that the biggest differences between rats and hamsters (except for the fact that they do not use the same cages!!) are that rats like to be awakened during the day to play, and rats almost never bite their human friends. If someone had told me that rats seldom bite when I was buying hamsters and gerbils for my son, it might have made a big difference for us.

I do find it disappointing that they have such a short (2-4 years) lifespan, but other than that, they can be great cuddly pets.

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I have three Rats right now. I had snakes previously, have had rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, and of course cats and dogs. I'm a pet magnet. I love having pets.

If you're wondering what you should keep your rats in I'll give you a nice tip:

Sterilite Tubs - the ones with the flip top handles. They're perfect for keeping rats/mice/snakes in. You can get wire mesh from Home Depot or Lowes, cut the middle of the lid out and hot glue the wire mesh. Cheap, easy, and no risk of losing your pets.

Of all the pets I've kept in steralite tubs not one snake/rat/mouse has ever escaped. I do caution you to be sure the tub is deep enough or you risk them getting over the lip when the lid is open if you're not careful. Though that problem was mostly with my snakes when I was putting them away after handling - they liked to spaz and slither back over the other side if I wasn't careful, deeper tubs were purchased after almost losing one.

For the water bottle you can use a dremel, cut a hole big enough for the metal piece to fit down through and then attach velcro to the bottle and tub.

I've got some pictures:

As for people who dislike rats... it's something you just have to get used to. As someone who owns rats and has owned snakes (which a lot of people are also set against) you just have to let it go by you, you know the truth, if they refuse to see it then that's their loss.

I took my pet rat, Gwen, to one of my classes on campus this last semester... We had been reading the book "The Plague" which starts out describing the disgust the population of this town has at the freakish sitings of rats dying and dead all over the town. I used the rat to show how people associating dirtiness with things that are often just misunderstood.

Mice on the other hand.... omg, I hate mice. I tried breeding my own feeder mice and I will tell you now... mice can be downright nasty. (IE, cannabalism) I would never recommend more than one mouse as a pet. I owned a pet mouse as a kid and it was great, but a colony of them is way different.

*is babbling and gonna shut up now*

Edited February 5, 2010 by Snowqueen

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My pet rat passed away a few months back, she was five years old. That's like... ANCIENT in rat years, isn't it? She was a good pet :3 And really friendly, she used to lick my finger x3 I have a chinchilla too, he's adorable and really hyper So fun, though I can't get him to stay still long enough to pet him when he's out of his cage Speaking of which, he figured out how to open the door too so we have a padlock on his cage. The first couple of times he escaped, my parents thought I left the door open. Then we saw him open it himself. Ha! I told them I didn't leave it open! He's a smart little critter he is! I've also had four mice and two hamsters.